|
Münster (upm/Fraunhofer IOF).
Gas pipeline networks, power lines and communication systems are threatened by cyber attacks. The research team is therefore using the principles of quantum physics to create secure communication channels. (symbolic photo)<address>© Adobe.com - peterschreiber.media</address>
Gas pipeline networks, power lines and communication systems are threatened by cyber attacks. The research team is therefore using the principles of quantum physics to create secure communication channels. (symbolic photo)
© Adobe.com - peterschreiber.media

New project to protect critical infrastructure against cyberattacks

With the aid of quantum encryption, the joint project “MANTIS” aims to prevent hackers from attacking gas pipeline networks and other important infrastructure / Physicists from the University of Münster are involved

Gas pipeline networks, power lines and communication systems are an integral part of everyday life which makes the risk of cyberattacks all the more problematic. To address this threat, researchers have now launched the “MANTIS” project. The aim is to protect critical infrastructures from attacks by hackers using modern quantum technology. The working group headed by quantum physicist Prof Carsten Schuck at the University of Münster is involved in the collaborative research project by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena. With a total funding volume of more than five million euros, around 1.1 million euros will go to Carsten Schuck's working group. The R&D project, of which 86% is financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is scheduled to run until 2027.

The technology at the centre of the R&D work is quantum communication, specifically quantum key distribution (QKD). This utilises the principles of quantum physics to create secure communication channels. Unlike previous QKD methods, the technology at the heart of MANTIS aims to develop a measuring device-independent and chip-based quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD). Gas pipeline systems are the focus of investigation as a specific application for this technology. MANTIS is a German-derived acronym for “Device-independent QKD and secure system synchronisation for application in gas pipeline systems and critical infrastructure”.

Logo of the MANTIS research project<address>© Fraunhofer IOF</address>
Logo of the MANTIS research project
© Fraunhofer IOF
The task of Carsten Schuck’s working group is to design, build and test the receiver unit for the quantum key generation process and to use it for the operation of secure communication in a gas pipeline system produced by PSI Software SE. “The receiver unit plays a key role in this context,” Carsten Schuck points out. MDI-QKD, an especially advanced method for generating ultra-secure cryptographic keys, is being used for the first time in Germany in an environment that is important for the infrastructure.

To generate a secure cryptographic key for encrypting sensitive data, two participants begin by sending individual photons to a receiver unit. The photons are measured using a process that makes it possible to generate indecipherable keys – even if the receiver unit falls into the wrong hands. “Any attempt at eavesdropping would be noticed immediately, rendering the key generation system independent of the measuring devices,” explains Carsten Schuck.

The team in Münster is building this system using a special technology which it designed in-house. It uses superconducting single-photon detectors which are embedded in advanced photonic integrated circuits. The circuits are embedded in chips that are cooled to around two Kelvin in order to make the best possible use of their superconducting properties. The physicists build and test the chips at the Münster Nanofabrication Facility and the Centre for NanoTechnology (CeNTech) at the University of Münster.

Further information